diswahser controls: electronic vs mechanical

[j j]

which is better (more durable), electronic controls or the mechanical timer/buttons?

we have a GE with electronic controls. the board failed after 2 years and it was replaced in warranty, but we paid labor. the board would have been 200$ which is ridiculous IMO. the technician said those boards fail very often.

so now I'm getting a second dishwasher for another apartment and I chose a frigidaire tall-tub, good model but with mechanical controls. are they more reliable?

also, what are the chances of the motors on the dishwasher failing? we got an extended warranty for the dishwasher, but I'm thinking of cancelling it.

[Des Perado]

I would go with the tried and true mechanical controls. They are not so expensive to replace and sometimes can simply taken apart and cleaned to fix them for more years of use. With the electronic control dishwashers, clothes washers and dryers, you might as well buy a new machine if the electronic control panel fails. Des

[jeff]

Hi,

JMO!!

Mechanical controls has been more reliable than the electronic version....but most ( almost all ) d/w's made today have an electronic control.....keep the extended warranty!! You will probably need it.

jeff. Appliance Repair Aid

[Childfree Scott]

My guess is that you are correct, but if the electric controls are cheap enough to replace then I'd prefer them. Having said this I'm sure that the replacement parts cost for the electric controls is even more expensive than a the mechanical controls (timer).

[j j]

As I said, I got a GE middle-range dishwasher with electronic controls (not the cheapest, not the most expensive model) for 480$ CAD, on boxing day sale. normally it would have been towards 550$ or 600 CAD. the cost of the electronic control module was 200CAD (free under warranty). That's almost half the cost of the dishwasher.